Fire District 1 asks again for the levy that failed by 124 votes in August
What happened: Prop. 2026-08 would raise the district's fire levy to $1.48 per $1,000 of assessed value, from $1.12 now. The same request failed in the August primary, 1,620 yes to 1,744 no. Two neighboring districts, North Whatcom Fire and Rescue and Glacier Fire, passed theirs in August.
Why it matters: A fire district's rate drifts down as property values rise, because its collections can grow only 1% a year; this one fell from $1.40 restored in 2021 to $1.12. A lid lift resets it with a simple majority. On a $600,000 property the increase is about $18 a month, per Cascadia Daily News. The district covers about 75 square miles and 12,700 residents, and answers about 1,100 calls a year; a bond to move its Everson station out of the floodplain failed twice in 2024.
Nov. 4 update: the levy is losing again in the unofficial count.
On election night, 1,959 voted yes and 2,088 voted no, about 48% yes, the Lynden Tribune reported.
After Wednesday's count it still trailed by about 2 points, KGMI reported.
What's next: the County certifies the results Nov. 24.